


Stay of Execution

by Revasnaslan



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Ambiguous/Open Ending, Evil Altean AU, Fluff and Angst, M/M, Manipulation, Moderate Violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-15
Updated: 2019-02-15
Packaged: 2019-10-28 15:48:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,875
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17790239
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Revasnaslan/pseuds/Revasnaslan
Summary: When the Altean Empire rose to power, Empress Allura converted the Galran Royal Guard into her personal hit squad. The Altean Court treated them as little more than attack dogs, keeping them in line with threats of the hoktril. When there's an attack on the Empress's life, and the culprit gets away, Thace and Ulaz are sent after the rebel. In the process, their loyalties to the Altean Empire are tested.





	Stay of Execution

**Author's Note:**

> This is one of the fics that I did for Thulaz Zine, over on tumblr! My friend Arka (who I collabed with for this piece, you can find his piece [here](https://xblackpaladin.tumblr.com/post/182824932810/collab-that-i-did-with-revasnaslan-for-her)) wanted an AU where the Blade of Marmora functioned as a sort of hit squad for the Altean Empire, and I was more than happy to deliver, since I love the Evil Altean AU ;3c

The hall leading to the throne room was silent. Thace’s gaze was locked straight ahead, keeping pace with Ulaz as they followed Kolivan through the palace. Thace didn’t know why they had been called to the throne room, and he wasn’t sure if  _ Ulaz _ knew either. Even though he could’ve asked Kolivan, he wasn’t sure if he would get a good answer.

The large, opulent doors that led into the throne room opened slowly, revealing an empty throne. Thace’s ears flicked nervously beneath his hood, and he glanced around the room as if that would cause the Empress to suddenly appear. While being kept waiting to see the Empress wasn’t abnormal, Thace still didn’t like it. In the back of his mind, he knew that it was unlikely they had been called here to be given warrants for their execution, but even knowing that didn’t allow the anxiety bubbling in his gut to disappear. His toe-claws clicked nervously against the perfectly polished tile floor as his grip on the hilt of the blade at his hip tightened.

Then, he felt a hand rest on his shoulder. Initially, he stiffened, but when he turned to meet Ulaz’s gaze and saw the touch of concern there, his ears eased against the sides of his head.

“Are you alright, my love?” Ulaz asked. 

The endearment was little more than a whisper, not loud enough for anyone besides Thace to hear, but it didn’t make it any less sweet. It was enough to bring the slightest of smiles to Thace’s lips. He wanted to reach out, stroke Ulaz’s cheek, draw a soft purr from his throat…

But not here, especially in front of their superior officer. They would have to wait until later, when they were alone amongst themselves, with little chance of being caught.

“It’s just…  _ odd _ that we’ve been waiting for this long, is all,” Thace said. “Her Majesty is usually more punctual.” He couldn’t remember the last time he had been called for a meeting with the Empress, only to be left waiting like this.

“Perhaps she overslept,” Ulaz suggested dryly.

Thace shot him an unamused look, crossing his arms over his chest. However, before he could respond, the doors to the room were thrown open to reveal not the Empress, but General Hira. Although both Alteans were intimidating, Thace found Hira even  _ moreso _ . Immediately he fell in line beside Ulaz, making sure to avoid eye contact with Hira, lest she be given a reason to lash out at them.

“Where is her Majesty?” Kolivan asked as Hira walked past them towards the throne.

“Her Majesty will not be joining us, unfortunately,” Hira said simply.

“Why?” Thace said, before he could stop himself.

Hira shot him a glare for speaking out of turn, but she didn’t tell him off for it. “It was recently discovered that we had a traitor in our midst,” Hira explained, raising her hand. A hologram of an Altean—long blonde hair pulled back into a bun, blue cheek markings, standard uniform for the Empress’s handmaids, but a determined look in her eye and a blaster in hand—appeared from the projector in her gauntlet. While the Altean in the hologram was unfamiliar to Thace, he assumed he must have seen her around the palace at some point, given her uniform.

“She was posing as a handmaid to our Empress,” Hira continued. “When an attempt on the Empress’s life failed, she ran.  _ Your _ job, Lieutenant, is to retrieve her.”

Thace listened to the General speak with rapt attention. It didn’t make sense for this rebel to be working alone, as there was little chance of her achieving the position she had held by herself, not unless she had worked years to achieve it. She either had connections—doubtful, given Hira hadn’t said anything about her family—or she had been planted there by a rebel group. Thace had aided in the quelling of several such groups since he had finished his training…

“You are to retrieve her  _ alive _ ,” Hira finally said, levelling both Thace and Ulaz with a stern look. However, after a moment, a smile appeared on her lips. That alone would have been enough to make the  anxiety come crawling back into Thace’s gut, even without the words that accompanied it. “That’s why I have chosen you two for this mission. You have a track record of being… softer than some of your companions.”

“They’ll achieve the mission, General,” Kolivan spoke up, coming to their defense.

“Of course, Commander,” Hira said easily, walking past them. All three Galra remained locked in place, watching her leave. She stopped just short of the door, turning to look over her shoulder with disinterested glance. “Oh, and should you fail… I’m sure you are aware of what your punishment will be.”

Thace’s eyes widened, ears shifting back beneath his hood. He had heard tales of what happened when Blades failed in their duties… he had  _ seen _ it. Unease settled in the pit of his gut, as Thace pictured Ulaz with a dead, thousand yard stare and an inability to act on his own impulses ever again. 

“Thace?” Ulaz prompted him, drawing Thace out of his thoughts. He was watching Thace with a concerned frown. “Are you alright?”

Thace mutely nodded, forcing a smile. He didn’t have time to dwell on the implications of Hira’s threat right now.

—

Weeks passed as they searched for the traitor, following those leads that they  _ could _ sniff out on her whereabouts. Several of the leads didn’t yield results, only dead ends. However, Thace and Ulaz didn’t give up. They  _ couldn’t _ give up, with the stakes being what they were.

They eventually tracked her to some densely forested backwater planet on the edge of the Empire. It would have been easy to lose her trail in the jungle if they weren’t careful. Through studying the security feeds around the only active spaceport on the planet, Thace had managed to find a video of her walking out of the spaceport into the jungle, but not returning or boarding a vessel to leave. This Altean would be hiding out here until she had lost anybody tailing her… anyone like himself or Ulaz.

For the last two days, they had been staking out a trail that was the only way to access the nearest town from the spaceport without getting lost amid the thick and unrelenting jungle foliage. Waiting several nights in a row for her to appear was beginning to wear on him. It was taking too long… what if they had missed her, or he had mistaken someone else for her on the footage he had found? She could’ve already slipped through their grasp again.

Thace fought against the urge to lightly tap his claws against the branch they were sitting on as they watched the trail below. He couldn’t afford to give their position away. The jungle around them was silent, save for the light rainfall and the chittering of birds. Still, Thace did let out a soft sigh. No sooner had he done that did Ulaz look over at him, tilting his head to the side. After a moment, the mask covering Ulaz’s face disappeared, warping out of existence.

“You need to stop doing that,” Ulaz said simply, eyes flashing in the dim light as he looked at Thace curiously.

“Doing what?” Thace asked, looking at him.

“Sighing,” Ulaz said. “Especially if you’re going to insist nothing is bothering you.”

“I’m just…  _ antsy _ , that’s all,” Thace said, shaking his head.

Ulaz didn’t look convinced, though. “Let me see your face,” he requested. “Please?”

After a moment of hesitation, Thace allowed his mask to disappear, revealing his face. Gently, Ulaz reached out, holding Thace’s face in his hands, stroking along Thace’s cheeks with his thumbs. At the contact Thace immediately relaxed, sinking into Ulaz’s touch as a light purr rumbled in the back of his throat.

“It’s okay to be scared, you know,” Ulaz reminded him. “But don’t worry, this will all work out. I’m sure of it…”

Thace chuckled softly. “I don’t know how you can be so calm…”

Ulaz smiled, leaning in to rub their noses together. “Well, one of us has to be…”

Thace hummed as a soft smile appeared on his lips. However, before he could say anything in response, there was a soft beep in his ear, indicating something had tripped the sensors they had put down along the trail. He rather reluctantly pulled away from Ulaz and allowed his mask to reappear over his face. Then, he pushed himself back to his feet and carefully moved as far along the branch as he could before it bowed under his weight. Once there, he peered out into the underbrush.

There was something moving out there. Not an animal, that was for sure. Quickly he scanned the individual, comparing their face against the description they had been given of the Altean traitor, and after a tick—an agonizingly long tick—there was another soft beep in his ear, indicating a confirmation.

“That’s her,” Thace whispered, moving back across the branch and stepping over Ulaz. Carefully, he shimmied down the tree, sinking his claws into the soft bark for leverage until he ended up on the forest floor a couple of feet from the trail’s edge. Ulaz dropped down right behind him, and they both peered through the underbrush, watching as the Altean walked along the trail. 

She definitely hadn’t noticed them yet. Her gait was far too relaxed for that. Around them, the rain began to pick up, and a shiver ran up Thace’s spine as droplets started slipping past the leaves.

“She’s armed,” Ulaz whispered over the comlink.

A quick once-over of the Altean confirmed Ulaz’s observations. She had a blaster hidden against her hip, easily accessible if she needed it. Thace didn’t doubt that she knew how to use it, if pressed. Thace slowly made his way through the underbrush, following after her and keeping her within his sights. His ears pricked as he heard Ulaz shift through the plants, following after him.

While Thace had hoped the rain would be enough to cover most of the sounds of their movements, the Altean’s shoulders gave the slightest of tenses. Her hand twitched for the blaster on her hip, and Thace barely had time to drag Ulaz down to the forest floor to avoid a blaster shot that had been aimed directly for them. The Altean took off down the trail without waiting to see if she had successfully hit anything, and Thace scrambled to his feet, racing after her. He heard Ulaz’s footsteps behind him a moment later.

Even if she was only half their size, she was by far one of the fastest people Thace had ever had to chase, and she didn’t appear to be having any trouble with the mud that had formed along the trail because of the rain. She didn’t pay any mind to how it was soaking into her skirt, or mucking up her shoes. She didn’t even look back at them as she quickly ducked through the underbrush on the edge of the trail.

“Does she have a death wish?” Thace hissed over the coms as he followed her with Ulaz a couple of steps behind. As far as he knew, Alteans couldn’t see that well in the dark, and they needed her  _ alive _ . They pushed their way through the underbrush, following the exact path she did as the Altean vaulted clean over a nearby fallen tree, slipping haphazardly on the mud on the other side.

She seemed to know exactly where she was going, almost as if she had mapped out this route previously. That alone was enough to make Thace nervous. She could’ve been leading them straight into a trap. He didn’t have time to think on it, though. The Altean half-turned, shooting her blaster behind her blindly without taking the time to aim.

Thace ducked to the side, but there was a sharp cry of pain behind him, and Thace froze entirely. He watched as Ulaz collapsed to the forest floor, clutching his side. The scent of charred flesh reached Thace’s nose, palpable over the scent of rain, and it was almost enough to make him keel over and vomit right there.

He abandoned the pursuit entirely, rushing to Ulaz’s side, but Ulaz waved him off.

“Go!” Ulaz managed to say through gritted teeth. “Get her! I’ll be… I’ll be fine—” He groaned, and seemed to be fighting to stay conscious through the pain.

Thace hesitated, already half-gathering Ulaz in his arms, and he looked in the direction of the Altean again. She had paused a couple dozen yards away, staring at them with wide eyes, hands still clutching her blaster. She had a clear shot at Thace… but she didn’t take it. Instead, she turned, and disappeared into the underbrush.

No doubt to get off the planet as soon as possible.

Thace didn’t care, though. Not now. He carefully cradled Ulaz to his chest, holding him close and trying to comfort his companion as a soft, comforting purr rose in his chest.

—

As soon as Thace managed to navigate back to their base camp, he had made sure that Ulaz was comfortable in front of the fire. Right now, Ulaz was resting comfortably, and didn’t seem to be in any pain… a small mercy. Thace wasn’t a trained medic, but he knew a thing or two about dressing wounds, so he had tried to haphazardly bandage the blaster wound on Ulaz’s side once they had returned, and had given him pain meds. As soon as he had finished, Ulaz had snuggled against his side, burying his face in Thace’s shoulder as he wrapped a blanket tightly around himself.

But now their comlink was buzzing, and dread settled in the pit of Thace’s stomach. He had been hoping to avoid having to deal with Kolivan or Hira for at least another couple of days… at least until Ulaz had recovered and they could try and pick up the Altean’s trail again. But it seemed it wasn’t to be. The buzzing didn’t abate, and he knew he couldn’t continue to ignore it, so he carefully extracted himself from Ulaz’s hold. He moved away from the campfire, making sure to keep Ulaz out of the frame.

Kolivan’s face was what greeted him, stern as always. Thace tried to keep his face as impassive as possible, hoping his worry—his fear—wasn’t evident on his features.

“You neglected to check in,” Kolivan said bluntly.

“Apologies, sir,” Thace said carefully. “We got a little hung up while tracking the rebel.”

Kolivan frowned at that. “And how goes your assignment? The General wishes to know of your progress.”

“We’re getting close,” Thace said vaguely. They  _ had been _ close. If he had just left Ulaz for two ticks to chase after her, he might have been able to catch her. Then, they could have been back on Altea right now, and Ulaz would’ve been put in a healing pod. Not lying in the dirt, with a blaster wound, in front of a haphazardly constructed fire. “We just need a couple more quintants, sir…”

Kolivan sighed. “You know you’re running out of time. There is only so long that the General can be kept waiting, and the Empress is getting restless.”

Thace’s ears pinned back before he could stop himself. “I understand, Commander,” he said. “We have a lead and we’ll be following up on it soon.”

“Very well,” Kolivan said. “I’ll pass along the message to General Hira…”

Thace saluted once more before the call ended. He was left standing there, shivering in the cold as a feeling of numbness settled in.

“Thace?” Ulaz’s tired voice came from beside the fire. He had raised his head sleepily, only appearing to be half-awake.

“I’m here…” Thace said, moving back over to the fire. He took his place beside Ulaz, allowing Ulaz to snuggle in again.

“Mm…” Ulaz mumbled. When he next spoke, his speech was slightly slurred, although Thace couldn’t tell whether it was from his half-awake state or the pain medication Thace had given him. “Who were you talking to?”

“Kolivan,” Thace said simply. “I said we were tracking the rebel…”

“Did you…” Ulaz trailed off with a yawn. “Did you say what happened?”

Thace shook his head, even though Ulaz couldn’t see it. “We’ll get back to searching when you’ve recovered…” he said, carefully running his hand along Ulaz’s crest.

Ulaz didn’t respond as a soft purr began rising in his throat. It seemed he had drifted off again.

Thace sighed as his hand dipped down to lightly scratch behind Ulaz’s ears. Up until this point, Ulaz had been the optimistic one… but now Thace supposed he would have to fill that void until Ulaz recovered. While he wished it didn’t have to be that way, he knew that they couldn’t fail this mission. And there was a nagging voice in the back of his mind telling him that they couldn’t fail a mission that they never intended to finish. 

The thought lingered as he settled in, holding Ulaz close. When he awoke, they would discuss their next move.

**Author's Note:**

> tumblr: [revasnaslan](http://revasnaslan.tumblr.com/)  
> twitter: [revasnaslan](https://twitter.com/revasnaslan)  
> pillowfort: [revasnaslan](https://www.pillowfort.io/revasnaslan)


End file.
